Plenty of true wireless earbuds allow to control music or query your phone with a voice command, but Wisear is taking the hands-free experience a step further. The company is working on what it calls "the first neural sensing wireless earbuds," a true wireless set that allows you to control tunes with actions like clenching your jaw. After showing of the tech that drives its first model at CES last year, the company is back with an actual set of earbuds to demo controls based on the movement of facial muscles.
Wisear says electrodes inside monitor brain, eye and facial activity using AI to translate those into controls. The company is showing off two items here at CES — play/pause and skipping tracks — both of which are done by clenching your jaw (once or twice respectively). Wisear says that by the end of the year, the first controls using eye activity, which it demoed with two wired prototype earbuds here in Vegas, will be ready. It also plans to debut its first controls based on brain activity next year. The company says once that full suite of actions is ready, it will debut its first consumer product — also currently slated for 2024.
Eventually the plan is to offer this suite of tech to other earbud companies and use the hands-free methods for things like AR. And despite the bulky housing on the prototype, the finished set will apparently look more like what we're used to seeing in true wireless earbuds. Wisear says the goal is to bring what makes earbuds convenient to its model and that battery life should also be comparable to the industry average nowadays. That means that even with the extra tech onboard you should be able to get somewhere in the five hour range on a charge.
JLab has consistently produced some of the best cheap earbuds over the last few years. The company offers solid performance and decent sound quality for well under $50 in some models. For 2023, JLab is taking things a step further in multiple ways with its smallest true wireless earbuds yet and also its first premium noise-canceling set. What's more, the company is jumping into the over-the-counter hearing aid market with two options with "discreet" designs.
First, the $39 JBuds Mini are 30-percent smaller than JLab's Go Air Pop that debuted in 2021. They aren't the company's cheapest model, but despite the tiny stature, the JBuds Mini still pack on-board controls, Bluetooth multipoint connectivity and over six hours of listening on a charge (over 20 hours with the case). The charging case is also quite small — about the size of a car key fob — and has an integrated key ring loop.
On the higher end, the $199 Epic Air Lab Edition earbuds are JLab's first hybrid dual driver design and, as you might expect, the company is calling them its best-sounding option to date. Equipped with active noise cancellation (ANC) and ambient sound mode, the Epic Air Lab Edition also offers touch controls, Bluetooth multipoint and over 54 hours of use when you factor in the wireless charging case. The company says there will be multiple ANC modes available in its app and a USB-C dongle will offer low-latency Bluetooth LE audio for video and games.
JLab OTC Hearing Aid prototype.
JLab
Now that over-the-counter hearing aids have been approved by the FDA, you can expect to see a lot of headphone companies entering that market. JLab has two models that will debut in 2023: the OTC Hearing Aid and the Self-Fitting OTC Hearing Aid. The former is $99 while the pricing on the latter is TBD. The company says both will be compatible with iOS and Android with "impressive" battery life. Details are scarce for now, but we expect a lot more info before these two hearing aids arrive later in the year. And based on the early renders, at least one of them will look like a set of JLab true wireless earbuds.
JLab says all of these new products, which will be the focus of its CES showcase, will be available during Q3 2023.
Keeping its tradition of making several announcements before CES, LG has teased its 2023 soundbar lineup ahead of the big show. The company says the SC9 and SE6 models will be on display in Vegas, both equipped with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for immersive sound. Details are scarce for now on the specifics, but LG did elaborate on some of the key features both soundbars will offer.
First, the company says the SC9 and SE6 will have Wow Orchestra, a tool that "utilizes every one of the two products’ audio channels to create an expanded soundstage with improved height, depth and power." That somewhat vague description is all we have to go on until we hear these in action, but LG did explain that the feature will arrive after launch via software update. The two soundbars will also use Wowcast to connect to LG TVs wirelessly over WiFi. Once synced up, you can access audio settings through the Home Dashboard on those displays (also coming via future update).
A Triple Sound Optimizer feature "boosts" the performance of the SC9 and SE6 while Smart Up-mixer turns stereo audio into multi-channel surround sound. LG says its AI Room Calibration tailors each soundbar to the place you put them, improving low-end frequency range and subdividing the front channels for better balance, clearer vocals and enhanced dialogue. The SC9 and SE6 also have an AI Sound Pro feature that can analyze content — movies, games sports or music — and automatically apply the best settings.
LG says the SC9 and SE6 were designed with a minimalist focus so that they might blend in better with a range of home furnishings. The company explains that a bracket for the SC9 attaches to LG’s 2022 and 2023 OLED C series TVs to further eliminate clutter. LG didn't elaborate much on the differences between the two units other than the fact that the SE6 is "ideal for smaller spaces" due to its compact stature. Despite the smaller size, that soundbar still packs four passive radiators for "powerful bass," according to LG, and Dolby Atmos support is still onboard.
The company didn't say whether or not either of these will come with a subwoofer or which additional speakers they'll be compatible with for a true surround sound setup. But, we expect all of the finer details on that, as well as info on connectivity and availability, when we arrive in Las Vegas next week.
The first in-depth testing for Formula E’s Gen3 car took place this week in Valencia, just one month away from the start of Season 9 in Mexico City. Across three full days, one simulated race and an added one-hour jaunt on a planned media day, some teams ran nearly 600 laps and over 2,000 kilometers to get a handle on what the new cars are capable of. The week wasn’t without incidents, of course, but Formula E co-founder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo said the sessions were “very successful.”
“The teams and drivers are obviously still learning and integrating the new system,” Longo explained. “We know that [going] from Gen2 to Gen3 is much harder to navigate than from Gen 1 to Gen 2, so it’s great to see that we are already much quicker than where we were with Gen2.”
After this week’s testing in Spain, here are the biggest things we learned about Formula E’s pending Gen3 debut next month.
The Gen3 cars look great on track
I’ll be the first to admit that when Formula E pulled the wraps off the Gen3 car in Monaco last April, I was a bit skeptical of the new, bold look. Once the teams started revealing their final liveries in the lead up to the Valencia test, I started to see the potential. All of the teams have been posting clips this week and Formula E has compiled footage as well, showing that the new cars do indeed look great on track despite their fighter jet-esque design.
The Gen3 car isn’t that much faster than Gen2 yet
When the Gen3 car was first revealed one of the main points Formula E hyped up was how much faster the new trim would be. That included a top speed of up to 200MPH. Of course, speed is dependent on a number of factors, including the circuit, but on paper the new cars should be much quicker than the Gen2 EVs. In the first practice session of the week, Maserati MSG Racing's Maximilian Günther posted the quickest official time of 1:26.096, slower than the fastest lap of Valencia testing last year in the Gen2 car of 1:25.763. The quickest lap this week came when Günther notched a 1:25.127 on the final day.
“When developing a new car, it’s really important to collect as much data as possible and to get a good feel for the car, and I believe that we have achieved this over the past few days,” Günther said. “Now, we just need to refine some aspects of our performance and continue with our preparations ahead of the first race of the season in Mexico."
Maserati MSG Racing
With the Gen3 cars being lighter and more powerful, an added 100kW to be exact, you’d expect the lap times to fall from the previous generation running. However, with limited testing, specifically in regards to the new tires, teams haven’t dialed-in their setups to take full advantage of the new cars just yet. Hankook told The Racethat some drivers experienced the new compound “for the first time in their life” during the initial session in Valencia.
The new tires are posing a challenge
For the first eight seasons, Formula E ran Michelin tires. Starting with Season 9, however, the series is making the switch to Hankook. More specifically, it moved to a more sustainable compound that aligns with Formula E’s green initiatives. 30 percent of the new tires are made from environmentally-friendlier materials like natural rubber. The challenge for Hankook is not only does the tire have to be better for the Earth, it also has to work well in both wet and dry conditions since Formula E only runs one compound.
Autosport reports that Hankook tested “maybe even 80 different specs” of tire compounds during the development phase, according to the company’s head of motorsport Manfred Sandbichler. The end result is a tire where the inside is softer and the outside is harder – a combination that could have implications for how teams tackle corners at each circuit.
One thing that’s clear throughout the paddock is that the new Hankook tires are more durable than the final spec of Michelins. McLaren Racing’s Jake Hughes told Engadget recently that the new tires “behave very differently” and that they’re “a bit harder, a bit stiffer.” The harder tire should be more durable than what Formula E ran in the past, according to Hughes, as the degradation on the Michlins would lead to the treaded tire being nearly slick by the end of the race.
“We need to try to understand how we can maximize it,” he explained. “At some point we’re talking in miniscule details to try to find an advantage over the competition.”
Teams are dealing with reliability concerns
Formula E
With limited testing ahead of the official preseason sessions in Valencia, teams are finding issues with their cars. The Race reports that some teams were in such a crunch to make it to Spain that they didn’t have time to shakedown their cars beforehand to make sure the basic systems were functioning properly due to parts that arrived late. According to that report, around-the-clock work shifts were required for some to make it to testing.
During a mock race this week, eight of 22 cars retired before the end of the trial event. One car didn’t make the start due to battery issues and two others had to pit on the first lap. A handful of others had to visit pitlane, which doesn’t happen during a Formula E race unless you have an issue (until the series institutes charging stops at least). The two biggest problems seem to be with the Williams Advanced Engineering battery setups and the brakes, both of which The Race reported teams were having issues with in early November. Formula E is said to be working on a secondary braking system after a number crashes in testing prior to Valencia, but The Race understands that it won’t be available during the first two E-Prix in Mexico City and Diriyah.
Teams expect Gen3 cars to improve quickly and drastically
Maserati MSG Racing
This isn’t exactly a new development, but teams up and down the paddock echoed the sentiment after the handful of test runs. McLaren’s team principal Ian James told Engadget that he expects “a development rather than a complete evolution.”
“As much as we’ll prepare the best we can for Mexico and that first race, undoubtedly there’s going to be a very steep learning curve as we get into the new season,” he explained. “And a fast rate of development as well.”
Drivers are also clear there’s “a lot to learn and plenty of work to do” before the first race, as Maserati’s Edoardo Mortara explained. “This week of testing has been intense but overall positive, and although we’re still understanding the finer points of the Gen3, I think we are in a strong position,” he said. “From here, we will fully analyze our data, debrief and continue to gather simulations from HQ.”
The first race in Mexico City could be… interesting
The issues with batteries and brakes aside, there are a number of elements of a proper Formula E E-Prix that could make the first full race quite an adventure. The new tires pose a challenge on a full street circuit, as opposed to the smooth track in Valencia. Getting the rubber in the proper window for qualifying and managing any degradation over the course of the race will be key.
There are also some unknowns with race format as well, as Formula E plans to test a mandatory Attack Charge stop in certain races in Season 9. Attack Charge will give drivers a temporary power boost much like Attack Mode has in previous seasons. Formula E says the 30-second stop can deliver 4kWh of energy to power an “enhanced” Attack Mode where the power of the Gen3 cars increases from 300kW to 350kW. It’s unclear where the Attack Charge trials will take place as specific races weren’t announced when the updated sporting regulations were revealed last month.
McLaren may be about to embark on its inaugural Formula E season next month, but the legendary racing outfit didn’t have to start from scratch. The company took over Mercedes-EQ operations at the end of last season, bringing an experienced crew along to develop its first papaya-hued EV street racers. Part of that crew was team principal Ian James, who’s now also managing director for McLaren Electric Racing as a whole. As the team prepares for the debut of Formula E’s Gen3 car in Mexico City, we sat down with James as well as drivers Jake Hughes and René Rast for a status update on development and the challenges ahead for Season 9.
“What’s really helped is that the team that’s been together over the past two or three seasons has largely stayed intact,” James said. “So that experience that we built up, we’re carrying forward into Gen3.” James further explained that he hopes that level of continuity will be key to achieving the goals McLaren has set for Season 9. Due to the limited testing opportunities ahead of the first race, the team may need to rely heavily on that experience.
Teams are only permitted to conduct a handful of on-track testing sessions before the first race of the season in mid-January. Because McLaren is a customer team – they’re running Nissan powertrains instead of building their own – they don’t get “the privilege of doing all the test days that the regulations of the championship dictate,” driver Jake Hughes explained.
Before the official preseason test this week in Valencia (six sessions across three days), Hughes and teammate René Rast have only had one proper test day, a shakedown at Bicester Heritage near McLaren HQ and a few low-power runs for media and staff. Formula E did add an additional shakedown session ahead of the official test dates this week and the championship designated a Wednesday time slot for a mock race that will include qualifying and a test of the new ABB rapid chargers. The Race reports that Formula E is also considering adding another session on Thursday on what was originally scheduled as a day off.
Rast and Hughes inspect the Gen3 car.
Engadget
“We haven’t actually had a lot of on-track running,” Hughes continued. “The simulator has been the bulk of our work.” He argued that the lack of track time won’t make things more difficult for him to prepare for Gen3, even as a Formula E rookie. “It’s going to be challenging no matter what – Formula E is such a difficult championship,” Hughes said. “I'm fully aware of the challenges I have ahead of me and I will do absolutely the best I have with what I have underneath me.”
Hughes arrived in Formula E with experience in both F3 and F2, the junior series that develop talent for Formula 1. Those cars are obviously a lot different, both from a design and a powertrain standpoint. Hughes explained that the “dirty air” aspect of those feeder series and the difficulty with overtaking aren’t part of Formula E. In most races, the races run in a train, nose to tail, and you can pass when you want – so long as you’re willing to spend the extra energy to do so. So for the McLaren rookie, even though he has experience as a Formula E reserve driver, a key challenge is developing new race strategies.
“Strategy is involved in every racing series around the world, but in Formula E, it’s really critical,” he said. “Every decision you make has a huge knock-on effect with how you use your energy later on in the race.”
Rast explained the McLaren duo had probably spent 10 days in the simulator through the end of November with more planned ahead of the Valencia test. “That’s the only thing we can more or less do to prepare ourselves for the car because the testing is very limited and the simulator is the closest you can get,” he said. Simulated running isn’t just for the drivers though, engineers and other parts of the team are also included in those sessions. That will continue throughout the season as simulator work happens before and after every race.
The team is well aware that they’re likely facing “a very steep learning curve” when they arrive at the first E-Prix of Season 9 in Mexico City next month, according to James’ assessment. “I think it’s the teams that deal with that in the most efficient manner are the ones that will come out on top,” he continued. James specifically mentioned the new front powertrain and added regenerative abilities that will change energy management strategies, even for experienced members of the McLaren team. Aside from the updates that a more powerful Gen3 car brings, James said alterations to the race format will “throw a few curveballs in there as well.”
Formula E announced changes to the races last month, getting rid of Fan Boost and replacing Attack Mode with Attack Charge at some races. The new battery technology inside the Gen3 cars allows for quick charging, but while Formula E had planned to bring back pit stops for that purpose, the infrastructure needed to do so isn’t quite race-ready. And on top of the series having to switch things up pretty late in the game, the teams still aren’t entirely sure how the new race format will work, which partially explains the mock race.
McLaren
“Obviously, Attack Mode is still the key ingredient for the race.” Rast said. “But the rest we’re going to see once the season starts.”
James explained that the teams were able to give input on the Gen3 sporting regulations as they were developed by the FIA (Formula E’s governing body). He foresees more excitement in Season 9 due to the increased flexibility in strategy the new format and guidelines will allow. So, in spite of the current unknowns, McLaren’s team principal is optimistic that “the racing this year will be closer than ever.”
“That’s going to make the racing even more exciting,” he continued. “It’s going to be more of a challenge for the engineers, working together with the drivers to make sure that we plan in the right way before the race, but then also to react to changes and the various different situations that can arise.”
And then there are the tires. Formula E is switching from a treaded Michelin tire to a custom-made compound from Hankook for Gen3. Both the old and new tires are designed to be run in both dry and wet conditions, though the Michelin compound would wear down so much on some circuits that it would basically be slick by the end of the race. Hughes explained that the Hankook version “behaves very differently,” and should be more durable.
Rast in the driver's seat.
McLaren
Still, the prospect and challenge of Formula E is as much of a thrill for the drivers as ever. With Gen3, the series has moved from having to change cars during a race to complete the distance to one that will stop for a 30-second charge. It can also hit 200MPH with a 350kW motor and is capable of regenerating 40 percent of its energy. It’s the ability to show off the potential of EVs to people around the world that excites Rast.
“It’s amazingly quick, it’s a proper race car,” he explained. “We try to bring motorsport into the cities to make people aware of what’s actually possible with electrification.”
Hughes agreed, noting that the potential for carryover from technology from Formula E cars to electric road cars is something he’s happy to be part of. “We can basically help develop the future for electric mobility,” he said. “A lot of the stuff we’re developing for Gen3 I wouldn’t be surprised if you see it on road cars within the decade. What we’re doing will have a knock-on effect that even right now we’re not fully aware of.”
Despite the chaos of the offseason prep and limited testing, the work McLaren has put in appears to be heading in the right direction. Hughes was second fastest across both sessions on the first day of testing in Valencia, less than a tenth of a second behind Masterati’s Maximilian Guenther.
Crunch has become a common issue at game development studios, especially as high-profile titles near launch. The release date for Diablo IV isn't until June, but people working on the Activision Blizzard game are already saying it will be difficult to meet the deadline even with employees working 12-hour days, late into evening and on the weekend.
The Nest co-founder once worked on a team at Apple that created the iPod. Now he's making a hardware wallet for crypto to give the digital currency its own iPod moment with the Paris-based company Ledger. Levy chronicles the period leading up to launch of the Ledger Stax this week.
An activity I look forward to every year is listening through Pitchfork's year-end lists. There are several, but I always start with albums — the long game. It's a fun annual chore, discovering new acts I've never heard of and listening back to some I'm already familiar with.
Construction has forced Formula E to relocate its US race next summer from the Red Hook terminal in Brooklyn to Portland, Oregon. The all-electric racing series filled the final spot in its Season 9 calendar on Wednesday as the 2023 slate of races is set to kick off in Mexico in mid-January. The Portland event will take place on June 24th, sandwiched between doubleheaders in Jakarta (June 3-4) and Rome (July 15-16).
Formula E has held a race in the US every year since it began in 2015, except for the COVID-shortened season in 2020. In addition to New York City, the series has also hosted events in Long Beach and Miami. The move to Portland now means four new cities will have all-electric racing in 2023 as Hyderabad, India; Cape Town, South Africa and Sao Paulo, Brazil were already announced as part of the Season 9 calendar. Formula E also says its hopeful to return to Seoul in Season 10. Construction that the Season 8 venue forced the series to cancel that event in 2023 as it wasn't able to find an alternate location.
While Formula E didn't offer many details in its announcement, The Race reports that the Portland event will be held at IndyCar road course Portland Raceway. According to the report, some modifications to the circuit will be made for the EV racers, including the possibility of added corners. The Race also reports that Formula E considered hosting the North America race in Toronto next year.
When Season 9 begins next month, Formula E will debut its Gen3 electric race car. In addition to an overall design change to a body style that's more akin to an F-18, the new vehicles pack an electric motor that can deliver 350kW of power (470BHP) to reach top speeds of 200MPH (320 km/h). The cars are also incredibly efficient, converting over 90 percent of their energy to mechanical power. This will be the first Formula car ever with both front and rear powertrains and that setup will be more than double the regenerative abilities of the Gen2. That's significant since about 40 percent of the energy cars will use during an E-Prix will be produced by regenerative braking. While pit stops aren't a thing in Formula E just yet, the series will test 30-second charging breaks during select races. The stops are mandatory and will offer drivers two "enhanced" Attack Mode with extra power for overtaking during the race.
The rise of electric vehicles in China is causing devastating environmental impacts in nearby Indonesia, including rising ocean temperatures as a byproduct of coal plants. Upper respiratory infections are also one of the main health issues for people who live near nickel-processing factories and the main water sources for some areas are increasingly polluted and prone to flooding.
Some of the priciest condos in NYC are housed in buildings with futuristic parking systems. Robotic technology is deployed to park and retrieve vehicles. The catch? The apartments cost millions and reserving a self-parking spot will cost you at least $300,000 more.
"The amount of reputational and social wealth that stands to be lost if Twitter collapses is astounding," Fairbanks explains. "Twitter currently functions as perhaps the world's biggest status bank, and the investments stored in it are terrifyingly unsecured."
It's that time of year again. Streaming services are eager to tell you which artists, songs and albums you listened to the most in 2022. While a few have already rolled out their bits of annual nostalgia, Spotify's 2022 installment of Wrapped debuts today. The company likes to put a new spin on its personalized top lists each year and this one is no different. A new feature called Your Listening Personality offers some insight into what the music you stream says about your taste. Wrapped determines which of 16 Listening Personality types fits you best including The Replayer, The Specialist, The Adventurer and The Fanclubber.
Of course, Wrapped will also chronicle your top artists, genres, songs, podcasts and tally your total minutes listened. An Audio Day feature can also tell you how your musical preferences change during the course of a day in an interactive story format. Artist Messages return from 2021 with over 40,000 acts recording thank you videos for top listeners. These clips are followed by your most listened to song from each artist this year too. Spotify has added the ability to purchase merch and see upcoming events through the Wrapped hub as well.
Spotify
As your social channels will indicate today, Spotify users love to share their Wrapped stats. This year, the company has added the ability to share cards via Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Line. What's more, there's a Snapchat lens for sharing that Listening Personality, Wrapped Bitmoji and themed GIFs on GIPHY. Since Spotify made its debut on Roblox earlier this year, you can expect Wrapped to show up there too with quests, games, digital merch and plenty of opportunities for photos.
In addition to the personalized Wrapped experience, Spotify has also revealed its top artists, songs, albums and podcasts for 2022. Bad Bunny is the most popular globally with "As It Was" by Harry Styles and Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny taking the top spots for songs and albums respectively. In the US, Drake edged out Taylor Swift but both the most popular song and album remain the same from the global charts. In terms of podcasts, The Joe Rogan Experience finishes the year number one again, with another Spotify exclusive — Call Her Daddy — slotted in second on both the global and US charts.
Sony's LinkBuds S offer a more traditional true wireless fit as opposed to the open wear design of the original model. The company debuted the follow-up back in May, filling out the features list with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a host of other handy items from Sony's premium audio products. Like the first LinkBuds, the S model was built to wear all the time, thanks to they're small size, comfy fit and capable transparency mode. LinkBuds S were already being made with recycled plastics from automobile parts, but today the company has announced an Earth Blue variant made from even more reclaimed materials.
Sony says the body and case for this version of the LinkBuds S are made from "factory-recovered plastic and reclaimed water bottles." The recycled materials are what give the exterior surfaces a marble pattern. The company explains that the idea originally came from design exploration around new uses for recycled water bottles. Of course, the earbuds aren't entirely make from reclaimed substances, but the main shell of the buds and the case have the swirl look from the process. Like the existing LinkBuds S colors, the packaging for this new version uses no plastic.
The $200 LinkBuds S feature ANC and transparency mode that allow you to tune out or tune into the world as you see fit. Sony added a tool called Auto Play to these earbuds that allows you to set up certain times audio will begin automatically — like after a video call or when you're on the go. The company's Adaptive Sound Control from other earbuds and headphones is here too, automatically changing sound modes based on your location or activity. You can expect up to six hours of battery life on a charge with ANC enabled and another 14 hours in the case. IPX4 protection also means you can wear these during workouts without fear of sweat damage and a handy Speak-to-Chat feature pauses audio when you begin to talk to assist with quick conversations.
The new Earth Blue variant will be available at the end of October from Sony, Amazon and other retailers, joining the black and white options in the LinkBuds S lineup. We've seen these earbuds for as low as $148, although you might have to wait a while for a deal on this new version.
